If you finished seventh, bounced back from a terrible 29th-place playoff start at Darlington last week, increased your postseason advantage above the Round of 12 cutoff line from eight to 32 points, and jumped from 10th to 8th in the standings, most drivers would consider it a good day. But not Christopher Bell.
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The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota exploded after crossing the finish line in Sunday’s second race of the opening NASCAR Cup playoff round at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Crew chief Adam Stevens came over the team radio first and said, “Checkered flag. P7. That’s what we needed today. Takes the pressure off next week (at Bristol, the final race of the opening playoff round). Good job guys.”
But that’s not what Bell wanted to hear. He jumped on his radio and launched into a profanity-laced diatribe chastising his team shortly after Stevens’ good words.
“We just f***ing ran seventh with the best car on the track!” Bell said. “Every f***ing week, it’s the same s**t. We’re the last car to pit road. I’m over it.”
To which he was simply met with a “I hear you, buddy” on the radio. Monday morning’s team meeting should be interesting, for sure.
Christopher Bell snapped at his crew after they said a 7th place finish was what they needed. Bell thought they had the best car but apparently was frustrated with the 20 team’s strategy.
“EVERY FUCKING WEEK it’s the same shit! We’re the last car to pit road! I’M OVER IT!” https://t.co/oEF6FwdPVv pic.twitter.com/kIFRgItkym
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) September 7, 2025
Bell likely could have been frustrated because his two other JGR teammates in the playoffs, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe (who won last week at Darlington), finished first and second.
It was Hamlin’s series-leading fifth win of the season and moved him into the points lead heading to Saturday night’s final race in the Round of 16 at Bristol, after which four drivers will be eliminated.
What’s more, Hamlin’s triumph also was Toyota’s 200th career win in the Cup Series.
Okay, now here’s the good news for Bell
Given that he’s now up to eighth in the standings and 32 points ahead of the cutoff line, Bell is pretty safe to advance to the Round of 12, even if he’ll get there on points instead of a win. Unless, of course, he wins at Bristol.
While some might call Bell a poor sport, or even envious of what his teammates did Sunday, it’s actually somewhat understandable to explain his outburst.
The Norman, Oklahoma native was the toast of the Cup Series earlier this season. After a dismal 31st place finish (caught up in an eight-car crash six laps from the finish) in the season-opening Daytona 500, Bell went on a massive hot streak, winning the next three races, Atlanta, Austin and Phoenix.
But in the 24 races since then, Bell has yet to return to victory lane. However, it’s not like he went from being great to a loser. On the contrary, he has earned runner-up finishes at Martinsville, Kansas, Mexico City and Watkins Glen, a third-place finish in the spring race at Darlington, and a fifth-place showing at Sonoma. Plus, he’s earned six other top 10 finishes since the Phoenix triumph.
After taking a few breaths, Bell cooled off
Bell calmed down later after climbing from his race car. “I just think we are under-performing,” he said, according to the Toyota post-race media release.
“Clearly, the JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) Camrys are amazing, and I don’t know. Our team cars are really good, and I felt like I had what I needed to race with them, and we finished seventh and they finished 1-2.
“I honestly think the cars are as fast as I’ve had in my Cup career, and we are just not getting results out of it. That is a bummer, but on a lighter note, we had a good points day and were able to increase our buffer to the cutline, which is really good.
“I think, from that standpoint, mission accomplished. We had a great Camry. Just didn’t get the finish that we probably could’ve and should’ve (had).”
